Addressing Climate Change in Brazil: Is Rio de Janeiro City acting on adaptation strategies?

The international scientific community has indicated that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are likely the main cause of rising temperatures since the mid-twentieth century. Cities have not only been a major contributor to these emissions but are also in locations that will experience the impacts most intensely. Accounting for more than half of the world's population, most built assets and economic activity is concentrated in cities - factors that make these environments highly vulnerable to climate change. The impacts caused by climate change are already being felt in urban centers and have been increasing in recent years. The main problems involving climate change for cities are rising temperatures, rising sea levels, heat islands, floods, and extreme events. Most Brazilian cities already have environmental problems associated with development patterns and transformation of geographical areas. Exacerbated changes in the hydrological cycle by reason of global warming tend to accentuate the existing risks such as floods, landslides, heat waves, and limitations on the supply of potable water. This article presents a case study of Rio de Janeiro city on how the city is acting to confront climate change through adaptation strategies.